Body of British tech tycoon Mike Lynch recovered after superyacht tragedy as daughter, 18, remains missing

22 August 2024, 15:59 | Updated: 22 August 2024, 22:41

Tributes have come in for Mike Lynch.
Tributes have come in for Mike Lynch. Picture: Alamy

By Kit Heren

Tributes have been paid to British tech tycoon Mike Lynch after five bodies were recovered from the sunken superyacht, with his teenage daughter Hannah still unaccounted for.

Listen to this article

Loading audio...

Mr Lynch's body was recovered by divers alongside four others after being found inside the sunken superyacht.

The remaining four bodies to be recovered have been formally identified as Jonathan Bloomer, his wife Judith Bloomer, lawyer Christopher Morvillo and his wife Neda Morvillo.

It brings the total death toll from the disaster to six.

David Worsfold, a Liberal Democrat Councillor in Brentwood who knew Mike Lynch during his school days, told LBC the tech tycoon was a "great guy" who "wanted people to have the same opportunities he had."

Super yacht community ‘can’t figure out’ why tycoon’s boat sank

"I've met many very, very wealthy people. Some of them think that they've left the rest of us behind and look down their noses at us," he said.

"Mike never ever came near anything like that. He was still the same Mike Lynch that he must have been at school. He was the same Mike Lynch as when he started Autonomy all the way through."

"Mike was a great guy. We went to the same school, albeit 10 years apart. But Mike was a great supporter of the Foundation that raised money for scholarships for young for boys and girls to go to the school because he was a scholarship boy himself.

An Italian Firefighters helicopter flies over the harbor of Porticello, southern Italy
An Italian Firefighters helicopter flies over the harbor of Porticello, southern Italy. Picture: Alamy

David Tabizel, Mr Lynch's co-founder at Autonomy, said the world had "lost a genius" after his death was confirmed. "His family have lost a giant of a man," he added.

Mr Lynch was on the board of the British Library, and was a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

The academy paid tribute to its "mentor, donor and former council member" on Thursday.

In a statement, it said: "The trustee board, fellows and staff of the Royal Academy of Engineering are deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mike Lynch and send our profound condolences to his family.

"Mike became a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2008 and we have fond memories of the active role he played in the past as a mentor, donor and former council member. He was also one of the inaugural members on the enterprise committee.

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."

Councillor who knew Mike Lynch pays tribute to him

The chief executive of the British Library, Sir Roly Keating, said: "Mike's extraordinary understanding of technology, combined with his passion for the British Library's mission to share knowledge, made him an invaluable member of our board.

"He was thoughtful, perceptive and supportive, and will be deeply missed by all of us who worked with him in his time here."

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Francis Crick Institute described Mike Lynch as a "human being of great ability".

Mr Lynch was a member of the Create The Change fundraising board, set up by Cancer Research UK and which helped fund the building of the Institute, a biomedical research centre.

Scuba divers of the Italian Firefighters corp at the scene of the search for a missing boat, in Porticello, southern Italy
Scuba divers of the Italian Firefighters corp at the scene of the search for a missing boat, in Porticello, southern Italy. Picture: Alamy

Lord John Browne said: "Mike Lynch should be remembered as the person who catalysed a breed of deep tech entrepreneurs in the UK.

"His ideas and his personal vision were a powerful contribution to science and technology in both Britain and globally.

"I send my condolences to those close to him. We have lost a human being of great ability."

Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: "We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Mike Lynch and all those who have been affected by this tragedy.

"Together with his wife, Angela, Mike was a valued donor to Cancer Research UK and a member of the board for our Create the Change campaign, which funded the building of the Francis Crick Institute.

"His support has helped to bring leading scientists together under one roof to tackle the biggest health challenges faced by humankind, including cancer.

"Our sincerest condolences go out to all the families affected."

Italian firefighter divers bring ashore in a plastic bag the body of one of the victims of a shipwreck, in Porticello, Sicily, southern Italy, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024.
Italian firefighter divers bring ashore in a plastic bag the body of one of the victims of a shipwreck, in Porticello, Sicily, southern Italy, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. Picture: Alamy

Read more: Sailing yachts like Mike Lynch’s are ‘unsinkable’, claims CEO of company that builds them

Read more: Super-yacht tragedy: Who is still missing and who has been rescued? What is known so far

He added: "He wanted people to have the same opportunities he had."

Divers continued to search for the teenager off the coast of Sicily on Thursday, after recovering the fifth body from the vessel, which sunk at around 5am on Monday.

Four of the bodies discovered aboard the vessel had been brought back to shore come nightfall on Wednesday.

A fifth was retrieved early on Thursday.

Jonathan Bloomer was chairman of Morgan Stanley International and Hiscox.
Jonathan Bloomer was chairman of Morgan Stanley International and Hiscox. Picture: Hiscox/Linkedin
Lawyer Christopher Morvillo worked on Mr Lynch's fraud
Lawyer Christopher Morvillo worked on Mr Lynch's fraud. Picture: social

Six people were marked as missing after the boat was hit by a water spout off the coast in Sicily just after 5am on Monday - with Hannah Lynch still missing.

22 people were onboard the yacht when it sank on Monday, with the chef Recaldo Thomas the first body to be found earlier in the week.

The ship is resting at a depth of around 50m (163ft) off the coast of Porticello near Palermo, where it had been anchored during the tornado.

It comes as the CEO of the company that built the ship claimed sailing yachts like Mike Lynch’s are "unsinkable".

Giovanni Constantino, CEO of the Italian Sea Group, told Italian media the storm that caused the sinking was expected.

He added that there were no flaws with the design and construction of the Bayesian, insinuating human error was to blame in recent interviews with international media.

Search to resume for remaining passenger missing after yacht sank off Sicily

Captain James Cutfield, 51, is a "well-respected" sailor and has worked on boats since he was a teen, his brother said.

Hopes are fading for the missing teenager as authorities formally identified the five bodies recovered.

It comes after Mr Cutfield, who is currently in hospital, spoke for the first time earlier in the week, telling local media of the abrupt nature of a water spout that caused the ship to sink.

“We just didn’t see it coming,” he said.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Keir Starmer

Keir Starmer pledges £3.5 million to support homeless veterans ahead of Remembrance Sunday

Donald Trump was inaugurated for the first time in January 2017

Which musical artists could perform at Trump's inauguration in January 2025?

Donald Trump has said he has no choice but to launch mass deportations

Trump says US 'has no choice but to deport illegal immigrants' en masse, as he starts to build top team

Prince William said the past year has been 'brutal'

Prince William says past year has been 'probably the hardest in his life' after Charles and Kate's cancer diagnoses

Ian Botham was saved from the crocodile by his former rival Merv Hughes

Ian Botham saved from crocodiles by former Australian cricket rival after falling into remote river

Sara Sharif was found dead

Sara Sharif’s ‘evil’ stepmum tied her up with packaging tape, father tells court

Three people have been charged in connection with the death of One Direction star Liam Payne

Three people charged in connection with death of One Direction star Liam Payne after he fell from hotel balcony

Mohammed Aslam and Mohammed Nazir have been jailed for their involvement in the 'hitwoman in a hijab' plot

Father and son jailed after hiring 'hitwoman in a hijab' for botched revenge killing in Birmingham

Kira Rudyk has warned against Trump's 'illusion' of negotiating with Putin over Ukraine

Putin congratulates 'brave' Trump on election victory as Ukrainian MP warns against 'illusion' of peace negotiations

Women are swearing off men following Donald Trump's election win.

American women are swearing off sex with men after Donald Trump's election victory

The HS2 chairman has defended the £100m cost of a bat shed

HS2 facing backlash after cost of 'bat shed' exceeds £100m

Exclusive
Andrew Bailey has warned against the fragmentation of the global economy

'Tariffs can fracture the global economy': Bank of England governor warns against trade barriers after Trump win

Two women were arrested after locking themselves to the Scottish Parliament in a climate protest

Climate activists arrested after locking on to Scottish Parliament

Gary Neville has been forced to close his Michelin star restaurant

Gary Neville's restaurant forced into liquidation with £1m debts

President Joe Biden addressed the nation for the first time since the election

Biden pledges 'peaceful transition of power' as he promises to work with Trump in last days of administration

Dylan Willis who has been freed by the Court of Appeal

Teenager jailed after unrest to be released as court of appeal alters sentence